"The [consumer] usage more than justified the additional units," Murray Battleman, owner of the single-store operation. "We have a 15 percent usage, based on our customer count, and we just installed them a few months ago."

Battleman installed one single-bag and one three-bag U-Scan self-checkout unit in April -- integrating the systems to his ScanMaster point-of-sale system. According to Retalix, the retail technology company that provided both systems, Richboro was the first store in the country to perform this integration. (See "Self-taught lessons" in the May 1 issue of Progressive Grocer.)

In July Battleman will add an additional three-bag unit as well as a five-bag system, to handle larger orders. The four units will be staffed with an attendant station to oversee their operations. "We've received very positive responses from the original installation, and our customers are taking increasingly larger orders through them," he said.

In fact, the most difficult part of making his decision to install the new units, said Battleman, is figuring out what type of signage to place above them.